The University of Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in research, according to the Washington Monthly Magazine's first annual college guide, yet falls short in the 'social mobility' category of the review.
By compiling the rankings based on the impact a university has on the surrounding region and country, the magazine sought to provide a less student-oriented college rating system.
To gauge the impact an institution's research programs have on surrounding economies, the magazine studied each institution's fund reception and how many graduate students finish their studies with doctorates and master's degrees.
"The idea there was trying to figure out which universities were having the greatest economic impact in their region," Washington Monthly Magazine editor Ben Wells-Wallace said. "[UW] did extraordinary."
Out of the 245 institutions featured in the rankings, Wells-Wallace said UW is clearly at the forefront of academic research. He added the university placed third overall in most doctorate and master's degree graduates and fourth in research funding.
"I think it shows the University of Wisconsin has more impact as a research center than any other college in the country," Wells-Wallace said.
While already aware of the university's prestigious research programs, Graduate School Dean and Vice Chancellor for Research Martin Cadwallader said it's good to get some recognition for UW's efforts.
"I'm excited and reassured," he said. "We're doing very, very well."
Cadwallader said he welcomes any sort of positive recognition to help UW maintain its magnetism toward esteemed research students.
Cadwallader added research programs act like businesses, generating research funding, employing staff members and trickling money back into the community.
"The money that comes in from research comes in [from] out-of-state," he said. "So that money comes to the state and creates research that creates jobs."
But while UW takes the top ranking for research, it placed a discouraging No. 101 for 'Social Mobility,' Wells-Wallace added.
"The university is not making a robust effort to seek economically disadvantaged students and see them through," he said. "Wisconsin didn't do that well in that ranking … [the ranking] is really, really low for a state university."
Wallace said by substituting low-income students for those out-of-state, UW failed to achieve the magazine's top five overall institutions.
"In its peer group, Wisconsin is below the mean because providing opportunities for students in the state is just such an important part of any public university's mission," he said "I think taxpayers and alumni and those in the state need to hold UW to a higher standard in that sense."
President of UW Board of Regents David Walsh said the lack of financial support for disadvantaged students in Wisconsin, not its decision to accept those out-of-state is cause for the lack of low-income students at the university.
"Our culture in the Midwest is not to borrow," Walsh said. "There's not much we can do if [legislators] cut financial aid, and more so, if they raise tuition."
Walsh added, to improve UW and Wisconsin budget situations, the state needed to attract more graduates from out-of-state.
"Every state that has higher gross income also has a higher percentage of baccalaureates in the state," he said. "Our graduates stay here, the problem is we don't bring in a lot of people [from out-of-state]."
